Amnesty Int'l wants Canada to arrest George W. Bush

Group says ex-president should be investigated for war crimes

Posted Oct 12, 2011

Global Post

Pete Souza/White HouseFormer President George W. Bush with President Obama and former President Bill Clinton on Jan. 16, 2010. Bush is scheduled to attend an economic conference in Surrey, British Columbia, on Oct. 20, with Clinton.

Amnesty International says the Canadian government must arrest former U.S. president George W. Bush when he visits the country on Oct. 20.

The human rights group says Canada is obliged under both Canadian and international law to arrest Bush and investigate him for war crimes and authorizing torture in the U.S.-led war on terror, the Canadian Press reports.

Bush is scheduled to attend an economic conference in Surrey, British Columbia, on Oct. 20, along with former President Bill Clinton.

Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty Canada, points to Bush's memoirs, "Decision Points," saying that the former president admits to authorizing the use of torture against terror suspects, the CP reports.

“Canada is required by its international obligations to arrest and prosecute former president Bush given his responsibility for crimes under international law including torture,” Amnesty’s Susan Lee said in a statement, Agence France-Presse reports.

“As the U.S. authorities have, so far, failed to bring former president Bush to justice, the international community must step in. A failure by Canada to take action during his visit would violate the U.N. Convention Against Torture and demonstrate contempt for fundamental human rights,” Lee said.

AFP says Bush canceled a visit to Switzerland in February after similar calls for his arrest.

This article originally appeared on GlobalPost.

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Amnesty Int'l wants Canada to arrest George W. Bush

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From the archive: This story is more than 10 years old.

Amnesty Int'l wants Canada to arrest George W. Bush

Group says ex-president should be investigated for war crimes